Bomb-building facility opens its doors

Associated Press ^ | 6-14-05

[HangnJudge]

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee (AP) -- The government is offering a rare glimpse of the massive machines used to enrich uranium for the "Little Boy" bomb -- the first atomic weapon used in war, dropped 60 years ago in August on Hiroshima, Japan.

Inside the high-security Y-12 nuclear weapons plant remain the last of 1,152 calutrons that once filled nine buildings. The machinery was part of the top-secret bomb-building Manhattan Project, which turned this rural countryside about 30 miles west of Knoxville into a "secret city" of 75,000 people between 1942 and 1945.

"Don't you know the people in Knoxville wondered what in the world was going on out here," Department of Energy guide Ray Smith said Monday. "All this material was coming in, truckload after truckload, and nothing ever left."

About 50 kilograms of highly enriched uranium were produced in Oak Ridge over a year's time for the Little Boy bomb -- all carried in briefcases by plainclothes couriers to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where the bomb was partially assembled before being moved to Tinian in the Northern Marianas Islands and loaded onto the B-29 Enola Gay for the bomb run over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

[HangnJudge]

I've lived here for 19 years, and never seen the inside of this plant. Heard lots of stories, but as they say "If I told you what I do, I'd have to kill you" http://www.y12.doe.gov/

[cherokee1]

Maybe we should sent a postcard of this thing to the Iranians/NGooks----show ém what a real plant looks like, Tell them that's our old one (they oughta get a gander at the new one) and explain it's not that easy to put it underground or otherwise hide it. And we'd be happy to show them what it does!!!

[Professional Engineer]

ping

[Prince Caspian]

Our family moved to OR when I was a kid in 1967. Dad worked at Y-12. Graduated from ORHS in 71. My mom still lives there. Nice place. I go back a couple of times a year. It still looks almost exactly the same now as it did in 1967 - except for more restaurants. Back in 67, it was pretty much just Shoney's, Snow White, Woolworth lunch counter, and Davis Bros. Cafeteria. And the only 2 hotels in town were Holiday Inn and Best Western. Ah, nostaglia.

[fredhead]

My Mom worked at Oak Ridge for a few months in 1945 between the time she graduated high school and she and my Dad married. I never heard what she did there.

[Erasmus]

According to Richard Rhodes, author of The Making Of the Atomic Bomb, they requisitioned Fort Knox's silver to make conductors for the Calutron magnets.

[Martin Tell]

I see lots of graffiti in Nashville (from a stencil) that: "The bomb dropped on Hiroshima was made in Oak Ridge."

I am always tempted to write below it, "GOOD!"

[Martin Tell]

In the mid to late 60s my family used to go to Oak Ridge every summer for a big swim meet. The city had an irregularly shaped giant pool. It must have been spring-fed because the water was ice cold. The Oak Ridge swim team was called the "Atomic City Swim Team."

I understand some homeowners in the area had some trouble with the Feds over property rights/title.

About ten years ago a corporate client of mine (yes, I confess to being a lawyer) who was a vendor at the Oak Ridge plant had a dispute. The FBI got involved very quickly and talk of criminal charges were tossed around. Cooler heads prevailed, but I found out that the plat folks did not mess around.

[wardaddy]

Please do Martin. I got paint!

My Vandy Prof neighbor is working this summer at the Oak Ridge lab.

[wardaddy]

Please do Martin. I got paint!

My Vandy Prof neighbor is working this summer at the Oak Ridge lab.

[wardaddy]

Please do Martin. I got paint!

My Vandy Prof neighbor is working this summer at the Oak Ridge lab.